Motörhead release Ace of Spades

Ace of Spades is the fourth album by the British band Motörhead.

Released on 8 November 1980, it peaked at #4 on the UK album charts and reached Gold status by March 1981. It was preceded by the release of the title track as a single on 27 October, which peaked in the UK singles chart at #15 in early November.

The album was recorded in August and September 1980, produced by Vic Maile at his Jackson's Studio in Rickmansworth. This is the first of what would be a series of projects with Maile, and members of the band commented at the time about finding the right producer. Whereas the band had previously had an input at the mixing stage, Maile took sole responsibility here, Clarke explaining that the result was that "you can finally hear everything that's going on".

Of the performances, Lemmy claimed that "Vic got me singing instead of just shouting all the time", while Taylor added "and he got me playing more solid".

The album has been described as "one of the best metal albums by any band, ever" and has become a significantly influential 'hard rock classic'. Despite the band always referring to their music as rock 'n roll, the album, and particularly its title track have been considered amongst the most influential in the development of thrash metal. The title track is, for many, the definitive Motörhead anthem. The album is listed in the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die.